Twinkle in a man's eye

Posted by David FG on May 17, 2005

In Reply to: Twinkle in a man's eye posted by Joshua Klein on May 17, 2005

: Please tell me why a previous twinkle in a man's eye is associated with birth. Thank You.

The phrase I am most familiar with is 'a twinkle in your Father's eye'.

It refers to the 'fact' that a man intent upon romantic activity has a 'twinkle' in his eye. If the romance proceeds, a birth might well ensue in the course of time.

Thus, 'before you were a twinkle in your Father's eye' means long before you were born.

DFG